Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Almighty Avocado

Lately I've been going through avocados like I'm growing them in my backyard. I'm not of course, but I've been buying them with every visit to Stater Bros. (nice little plug for my favorite grocery store). I can incorporate them into so many meals and they add a nice finishing touch.

Avocados (or alligator pears as they are sometimes called) are a delicious and healthy fruit, yes I said fruit. Shaped like a pear, avocados are actually a large berry containing a seed that grow from trees throughout the world. You can view a map of native avocado locations here --->

High in monounsaturated fat, also referred to as the “good fat,” avocados can be a key element to any diet. According to HealthDiaries.com avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit and also contain about 60% more potassium than bananas. Avocadoes also contain a nutrient called lutein which is important for maintaining healthy eyes. The country of Mexico is the worldwide leading provider of avocados with the state of California coming in second.

So now that we’ve covered some fun facts about this magical fruit, let’s take a look at how we can incorporate it into our diet. I have been slicing up avocados and putting them into spinach salads, on hamburgers, on hotdogs and on omelettes. I also take the back end of a spoon, scrape the inside of the avocado and use that as a spread on tortillas. This spread can act as a great addition to any fajita or breakfast burrito meal. And of course, you have the traditional yet incredibly delicious guacamole dip. You can mix slices of avocados, bits of onions and any salsa together to get a simple and affordable guacamole concoction.

So give them a try! Pick up a few avocados next time you’re grocery shopping and experience this wonderful fruit. HomeCooking has some awesome avocado recipes here (http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blavocado.htm).

Avocados are even mixed into smoothies. ---->

If you’re still not sold on avocados or just want to explore deeper into the “alligator pear”, take a few minutes and check out this amazing link that notes several health benefits of avocados. (http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-avocados.html)

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